A/N: Hey again, everyone. Here we go, I've finally managed to find both the time and inspiration for the next chapter and I'm really happy with how it turned out. I hope you feel the same and you like how this story continues. So, without further ado, here comes chapter 8. As always, feel free to leave a review and let me know what you think – I love reading them :)
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Girl Meets World characters.
Mine
Girl Meets Changes
"Flash forward, and we're takin' on the world together
And there's a drawer of my things at your place"
While Maya was having a nice and relacing night in, watching Ten Things I Hate About You with her friends while devouring a delicious ice cream sundae, Shawn and Katy met up with Jasper's current foster parents and social worker. They were surprised by how quickly Mr. and Mrs. Peters got on board with their plan. At first, even though they were glad, of course, to avoid a big argument, it made both Shawn and Katy angry. They didn't understand how the two people who had been living with Jasper for months could agree to give him up just like that. But after listening to Mr. and Mrs. Peters' part of the story, they started to understand.
See, Jasper wasn't the only foster kid in the Peters' household; he had been living there with two foster sisters and one foster brother who all came from rather rough backgrounds, so it was no surprise that the Peters had their hands full. Jasper had been the last kid to join them and had done his best to give them as little grieve as possible, they knew that. And, in turn, they had tried their best to include him into their life and make him feel at home. But somehow, they just … hadn't clicked.
Natalie, Jasper's social worker, had jumped in at that point, explaining that, sadly, this was something that could happen. After all, foster parents often didn't know the kids they were taking in until they were already with them, so it made sense that in some cases they just didn't really warm up to each other. Foster families usually were just a temporary solution anyway, until the children found a permanent home. But there were also some cases like Japer: children who bounced around from foster family to foster family, but never found a real home.
It broke both Shawn and Katy's hearts to think about how unstable and unsure Jasper's life had been up till now and, after sharing an understanding look, there was not a doubt in either of their minds on how to proceed when Natalie asked them if taking in Jasper as their foster son was something they could imagine. When saying their goodbyes, both Mr. and Mrs. Peters gave the Hunters a big hug. They liked Jasper and thought he was a great young man. They were sad they couldn't give him the home he deserved and were so relieved that surprise or fate or destiny – call it what you will – had thrown Shawn and Jasper together.
After the Peters left, even Natalie couldn't contain her excitement and joy any longer and the social worker was the next to envelop both Hunters in a big hug. She told them about how Jasper's had been the first case she had ever been assigned to and how she had taken his journey with him. How hard it had been for her to watch Jasper having to go from home to home, seeing the despair and sadness and, more recently, resignment in his eyes – while he still tried to put on a brave face – when he had to leave a family yet again. She had grown fond of the boy and was so relieved that things were finally starting to look up for him.
Shawn and Katy went back to their hotel room to find their daughter sprawled out on her bed. Maya had her laptop and phone in front of her and a – now empty – ice cream bowl was sitting on the nightstand beside her. They could see a movie playing on her laptop – Ten Things I Hate About You if Katy wasn't mistaken – and a video call on her phone showing the enthralled faces of Riley, Farkle and Josh focused on their own screen back in New York.
It warmed both Shawn and Katy's hearts to see that her daughter had apparently made really great new friends in New York. Such great friends that they met up to watch a movie, even though Maya was currently on the other side of the country.
It took the college student a while to notice her parents were standing in the room with her, that's how emersed she had been in the movie. Once she did realize they were finally back though, she immediately hit pause and turned towards them expectantly – sporting the same curious expression that the three heads now smushed together on her phone, trying to see what was going on, were showing. It was a sight that would usually have made both Shawn and Katy burst out laughing, but they were still in such a state of shock and joy that they didn't quite know how to start.
"So, did you get me a little brother or what?" Maya finally asked, trying to mask her excitement behind a teasing comment.
"Yeah, we did," was everything Shawn needed to say before the room dissolved into a chaos of shrieks and giggles – coming both from the people present and those virtually joining them.
Maya bounced over to her parents and enveloped them in a big hug. When the shouts and shrieks coming from her phone got too loud, she reluctantly let go of them to get the device, so Riley, Farkle and Josh could join in on the celebration.
It didn't even occur to anyone involved that the majority of the five of them had only known for a rather short period of time and that this was a highly personal and emotional moment for the Hunter family. No, it felt completely right and natural to include the other three college students in this moment and the five of them ended up talking late into the night. Before they eventually did hang up, Shawn made Riley, Farkle and Josh promise not to tell Cory that they already heard the news about Jasper, which once again cracked everybody else up.
A little ways down the road
After that first meeting between Jasper and the rest of the Hunter family, everything kind of fell into place. Natalie immediately took care of the paperwork with Shawn and Katy and got the whole process started, wanting Jasper to be able to move in with his new family as fast as possible. Still, like with all bureaucratic things, it took a few weeks before everything got sorted out.
In that time, Shawn did his best to fly out to Seattle over the weekend as often as he could to see and hang out with Jasper, so they could get to know each other better. Even Jonathan had gone along once when he had had some time off from work and had taken an immediate liking to the boy. Because of classes and work, Maya and Katy were only able to join Shawn once and twice respectively, so those two were especially anxious to get the whole process over and done with, so Jasper would finally be in New York with all of them.
Eventually fall turned into winter and, when in mid-December Natalie still couldn't give them a definite answer because, quote-unquote "every damn person responsible just had to take their vacation at the exact same time", the Hunters were starting to worry. Through the visits and regular phone and video calls, they had gotten so close to Jasper, it was almost like he was part of the family already and it made saying goodbye harder and harder each and every time. The Hunters and Jon brainstormed and came to the conclusion that, if Jasper wouldn't be able to spend Christmas with them, they would simply have to bring Christmas to him.
They let the Matthews know, who had previously invited them over to their place for Christmas, and surprisingly – or rather unsurprisingly – the entire Matthews clan immediately offered to join them in going to Seattle for the holidays. Shawn and Katy had been completely taken by surprise and Cory and Topanga had immediately backpaddled, assuring them that it was entirely their decision, that they just wanted to offer since it was the first Christmas, they would all be able to spend together since the big fallout.
And this assurance, having it be their choice, was what had sold it to Shawn. He and Cory had jumped into each other's arms – along to the chorus of "Shawnie!" "Cory!" – while an amused Katy and Topanga had stood by, immediately getting to work on adjusting their travel plans to include the eight members of the Matthews family.
Maya and Riley had come into the apartment just at that moment and, after being filled in on the newest developments, Riley had simply thrown her arm around Maya in delight while Maya had just shaken her head laughing and said: "Oh boy, Jasper isn't gonna know what hit him, is he?", making everyone join in on her laughter.
Just a few days later, on the 23rd of December, the Hunter and Matthews – including Amy and Alan who had come into town for the holidays – were gathered at Shawn and Katy's apartment. After a heartfelt reunion with the elder Matthews, they all got to work on finalizing their last-minute trip to Seattle. It was spontaneous and improvised and would definitely not be cheap, but everyone was dead set on making this their best Christmas yet, both for themselves as well as for Jasper.
The Hunters' apartment was a mess. Katy, Topanga, Shawn and Cory sat in front of Shawn's computer, finalizing their bookings while Alan, John, Josh and Farkle were put on gift-wrapping and Christmas ornament crafting duty – yeah, nobody knew if that had been the wisest choice. Amy had dragged Maya, Riley and Auggie into the kitchen for some Christmas cookie baking extravaganza and some getting-to-know-each-other – Maya – as well as bonding – all three of them – time.
There were Christmas songs playing in the background and, though it was far from her usually quiet and cozy Christmas with her parents and Jon, Maya didn't think she had ever felt more at home in her life. The first batch of cookies was eventually in the oven and, while Amy and Auggie got to work on cleaning up – aka devouring the left-over batter – Maya and Riley went back out into the living room and immediately shoed Alan and John away from the impromptu gift-wrapping and ornament decoration station. Their work had been hopeless. Farkle and Josh were doing a bit better and Maya and Riley immediately got to work on salvaging the most dreadful looking ones.
Well, and since you couldn't have Maya, Riley, Farkle and Josh in the same place together over an extended period of time – especially surrounded by glue, glitter, bands, bows, ornaments, etc. – the four of them ended up having the mother of all glitter fights. To nobody's surprise, Shawn and Cory couldn't restrain themselves from joining in as well, which led to all of them resembling Christmas ornaments themselves.
It was almost a miracle that anybody heard the doorbell ringing over the combined noise of Christmas music, delighted shrieking and slight cursing from the parties currently involved in what would henceforth be known as the Great Glitter War of 2019. But somehow, Katy did and immediately got up to answer it. Topanga was nice enough to turn off the Christmas music which led to an impromptu ceasefire between the parties at war who simultaneously froze in their movement to watch Katy. Even Amy and Auggie left the kitchen to see what was going on and went over to stand beside Alan and John, not looking the least bit faced upon seeing the chaos that had become the Hunter living room.
Finally shaking himself out of his trance, Shawn quickly dusted the glitter off his body and out of his hair – well, he tried at least – and walked over to join his wife at the door just as she opened it.
A gasp as well as Shawn's strangled and confused question of "Natalie?" was everything the others could hear as they too inched their way closer towards the now open door, not wanting to miss a thing.
"What are you doing here?" Katy asked, worry immediately evident in her voice. "Oh my god, is Jasper alright?"
"Jasper's completely fine," Natalie assured, a warm smile on her face. "I just came by to drop off your Christmas present."
"Our …?" Shawn trailed off as Natalie took two steps to the right to reveal a tall young man with dark blonde hair and greyish-green eyes, who seemed to be torn between bouncing excitedly and insecure about how his sudden appearance at the Hunters' doorstep would be received.
He needn't have worried, though. Because, especially after seeing the shy and insecure smile Jasper was giving them, Shawn immediately rushed forward to envelop the boy in a big hug, followed by Katy who took over right after her husband.
Maya, having been the one closest to the door, watched the encounter with tears in her eyes. She knew how desperate her parents had been to finally have the young man they had come to care for so much with them and to finally see them together was filling Maya with more happiness than she knew what to do with.
She felt a presence behind her and, without needing to turn around, she knew that it was Josh who placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, letting her know that he was there, that she wasn't alone while still giving her space. Space that he had since learned the girl needed. There was nothing Maya could handle less than being crowded or overwhelmed.
And it was this consideration that he continuously showed her, that made Maya reach her own hand up to close around his at this moment. She could hear him take in a quick breath of air, not quite knowing how to proceed with this change of direction and Maya couldn't help but smile as she interlaced their fingers, still resting on her shoulder, before pulling his hand down along with hers and keeping them tightly locked together.
Neither of them said a word, but the look those two shared when Maya finally let go of him to greet her new foster brother herself, was more than enough. Josh looked at Maya with a mixture of confusion, happiness and hope to which Maya just gave him a small shrug and, after a moment, a warm smile that was immediately reciprocated. Yeah, Maya thought, things were changing between them. And for the first time in her life, she thought that this might not necessarily be a bad thing.
Another little ways down the road
"Currently in the zone! Please, no greetings, no questions, no interruptions!" Maya Hunter called out as she burst through the apartment door, her eyes set on the door she was heading towards as she rushed through the room without looking either left or right. "Currently on a roll here, inspiration has finally struck! No time to waste, I will see you guys later!"
"Dammit Maya!" A male voice called out, half-angry, half-teasing, causing Maya to falter in her step, just for a moment, to take in the scene in front of her.
"Oops!" she called out, immediately covering her eyes and turning back around to continue her journey. "Sorry, Drew! Sorry, girl-of-the-month! I will just be in there, don't mind me!" And with that she finally made her way out of the living room where a very amused Andrew still had his arm around the rather discontented looking blonde sitting on his lap.
Shaking her head while trying to get the image out of her mind, Maya gingerly closed the door behind her. She focused back on the inspiration that had hit her as she made her way through the room purposefully towards a small trunk beside the nightstand. A smile spreading across her face, Maya knelt down and tenderly let her hand wander over the object. It was handmade, beautifully crafted by Alan Matthews himself, made of rosewood and with the initials JM engraved on the lid.
Taking a deep breath while sorting her thoughts, Maya let her gaze wander through the room. From the first time she had been in here, she had felt at home. It was a rather small room, kept in light grey and dark blue colors with a bed and wardrobe as well as a desk as the main interior. Contrary to the stereotypes, it did not look like what one might imagine a college guy's room to look like. Instead, whenever Maya had been in here, it was kept neat and tidy – but not overly so with the occasional book or item of clothing flying around somewhere.
Shaking her head, Maya returned her gaze to the trunk in front of her as she carefully opened the lid. A big smile spread across her face as she laid eyes on the content: an assortment of art supplies. She quickly gathered everything she would need together and headed over to her usual spot, right in front of the balcony door, allowing the girl a view over the city skyline. It was a rainy day which meant perfect indoor painting weather. Maya quickly reached for the bag she had brought with her and got out a blanket as well as the painting she wanted to work on.
She laid the blanket out on the ground to avoid the floor from getting covered in paint, placed the easel on top of it and set the canvas down. A feeling of calmness and serenity washed over Maya as she looked at her work in progress.
It was the painting she had started way back at the beginning of the semester. As it turned out, her professor had had big plans when providing them with the assignment. While Maya had worked on many different assignments since, this painting was what they would have to hand in at the end of semester and what would make up the majority of their grade. They had been given the assignment at the very beginning, so they could work on, rework and expand their own haven as the semester went on, whenever inspiration struck them.
Well, and that's what had happened today and that was why Maya was currently in – what Riley would call – her painting zone. A state that all her friends had quickly learned was not to be disturbed or interrupted unless the circumstances were dire or fatal.
Especially since, for this particular piece, inspiration had evaded Maya for the longest time, and she had started panicking – just a little bit – about whether or not she would ever finish it. She loved the first draft of her haven and was hesitant to change even the slightest thing about it. She had reworked both sides of the painting a bit, making the left seem more fairy-tale like and the right more real, but that had been all she could bring herself to do up till now. She knew that something was still missing but couldn't quite tell what it was.
Maya couldn't even say what exactly had provided her with the inspiration, it had come to her in the middle of her last class and she had spent the remaining thirty minutes anxiously bouncing up and down in her seat, wanting nothing more than to finally be able to paint. She wanted to focus on the left side today, on her past, because the inspiration also had its origin in her past.
Something her dad had told her long ago was that for him home wasn't a place, home were the people you loved, and Maya couldn't agree more. This saying had come to her today, completely out of the blue and she just knew what was missing from the picture.
So far, her haven was simply a place, or rather a combination of two places. But Maya knew that a big part of her haven, of making her feel safe and comfortable and loved, were the people in her life, both from the present and the past.
For the left part of the picture, this meant that Maya wanted to include her friends from back in Possom Trot: Mr. and Mrs. Williams and their Golden Retriever Sammy, Juliet and Tristan and their three kids, Henry and Charlie with little Callie, Margie, they all needed to be featured. She knew she wouldn't be able to include everyone in there and still make them easily to recognize. The painting was simply to small for that, but that wasn't her goal anyway. She needed to know who these people were, nobody else, so she had decided to put them a bit more in the background while sticking to the fairy-tale motif that part of the picture followed. She included her old friends in there, all of them resembling fairies, elves, dwarves, gnomes or woodland creatures dancing along the pond or through the forest in the back. Maya even included a little patch of daisies right beside the pond in honor of the diner.
Including Jon and Zay proved to be a bit more complicated. They were both big parts of her past, but still featured prominently in her future. In the end, Maya decided to include them on the left, but make them a bit bigger than the rest of her friends and to place more towards the middle where right and left merged together. Zay ended up resembling a mischievous looking dwarf – which might or might not have been retribution for the nickname short-stack – and Jon looked like a wise elf. However, unlike her other friends, Jon and Zay, albeit displaying some features of an elf and a dwarf respectively, looked more like their normal selves, more real.
Maya had been working for hours, analyzing and overthinking every single brushstroke and placement of each and every character. She was spent once she finally set down her brush in what felt like forever. She was nowhere near close to finished, the middle and the entire right half were still left, but she just couldn't focus anymore. Maya hadn't thought it possible to end up being so physically exhausted from an afternoon spent only painting, but she wasn't sure she even had the strength to stand up right now. Even just tearing her gaze away from the painting was tiring. So, the girl just sat there for now, looking at the painting, her mind still reeling with all the possibilities of how she could continue.
A knock on the door was what finally broke the spell Maya was currently under. She shook her head, forcing herself away from her work and back into the here and now. "Yeah?" she croaked, her voice hoarse and broken. She suddenly realized that she hadn't had anything to drink since before she got here. As if on cue, her stomach started grumbling as well, voicing its displeasure at not having received a bite to eat since breakfast this morning.
The door was opened the tiniest bit, just so much that the person standing in front of it could peak their head inside. "Is it safe to come in yet?" a male voice asked as the person slowly opened the door wider and Maya was met with the sight of a handsome young man with dark skin and short black hair. "I come bearing coffee."
A grin spread across Maya's face. "You are an angel, Andrew!" she exclaimed as Drew crossed the room and placed the warm mug in her hands. "Have I told you that recently?"
"Anytime I provide you with hot beverages," he dead-panned with a smirk on his face as he watched Maya take a big gulp and sigh with contentment. "I thought you could need something to drink, you've been in here for hours."
"Yeah, I kinda spaced out there for a while," Maya admitted, giving the older guy a sheepish look.
"It's fine," he waved off. "We've known each other long enough for me to know how you get when you're in your painting zone." Drew chuckled. "Plus, Josh mentioned that something like this might happen when he told me you might stop by today. Riley and Farkle having another date night?"
Maya nodded. "Yeah, dinner and a movie at our place," she explained. "They always invite me along, but I thought some privacy might be nice for them every once in a while."
They had started this arrangement a few months ago when Maya, in passing, had mentioned to Josh that she was thinking about what to do one night that would keep her out of the apartment, so Riley and Farkle could have some alone time. He had immediately offered his and Andrew's apartment up, inviting her to come by and hang out for as long as she liked. She had been hesitant at first, not wanting to impose, especially on Andrew who she hadn't known at the time. But Josh had convinced her, her and Drew had hit it off immediately – both of them sharing the same kind of humor – and Maya had been a frequent and welcome guest at their apartment ever since. So frequent, in fact, that Josh had even offered to let her keep some spare painting equipment and comfortable clothes in the trunk in his room.
"You know you're always welcome here. We love having you," Drew immediately assured, knowing how reluctant Maya had been at first. "Well, some of us probably a bit more than others." Maya rolled her eyes at him and he raised his hands defensively. "Just saying."
"Yeah, yeah." The blonde shook her head as Drew ruffled her hair in a big-brotherly gesture. She mock-glared at him, but he knew she didn't really mind. "By the way, I'm sorry about before."
Drew laughed. "No worries," he waved her off.
"The blonde didn't look like she would agree with that," Maya muttered ruefully. "Both with being interrupted and being called girl-of-the-month."
"It's fine, Maya, seriously," Drew assured, bumping her shoulder with his. "Besides, it was more like girl-of-the-week, anyways."
The blonde rolled her eyes. "Honestly, Drew," she scolded, playfully punching his shoulder. They chuckled a bit before Maya sobered up. She hesitated for a moment but decided that this was something she had been meaning to address for a while now. "Drew?"
"Yeah?"
"Is this …," she started carefully and he looked at her curiously. "Is this about Charlie?"
Drew's face fell and a wistful expression crossed his face. "Maya …"
"I know," she immediately jumped in. "I know you don't want to talk about it. I know you think you screwed up and there's no fixing this. But … I'm just worried. Since the two of you broke up, I haven't seen you as happy as when you were together."
"She broke up with me," Drew immediately corrected in a pained voice, making Maya wince. "And … I know I deserved it, it's just … I know I screwed up … badly." He broke off, looking at Maya pleadingly and she gave him an encouraging nod. If he needed someone to listen, to vent to, she would be that person. He took a deep breath. "When we got together, I was so happy. We'd been dancing around each other for years and when we finally got our shit together, I guess … I thought that was it, that we would be a given. I didn't appreciate her enough – I know that now. I didn't make time for her, I didn't include her in decisions that I should have included her in, I just … I took her for granted." His voice broke at that and Maya leaned over to place an arm around his shoulders, trying to provide him with as much comfort as she could. "I can't blame her for dumping my ass, I don't think I would have realized what an idiot I had been otherwise. I just wish … if I could go back, I would do so many things differently, but … there is no going back."
The two of them sat in complete silence for a while. Tears had started gathering in Andrew's eyes and it hurt Maya to see her friend in so much pain. She wished she could do something – anything – to make him feel better. But in lack of Marty McFly's time-traveling DeLorean automobile or Hermione's Time Turner, she would have to settle for providing a hopefully calming and comforting hug.
Eventually, Maya decided to venture a little step further. "I know there's no going back," she started slowly. "But don't you think there might be a chance of … you two going forward?"
Drew sighed. "I screwed up, Maya," he repeated. "I don't even know how I would start to fix it."
"Have you tried … just talking to her?" Maya asked tentatively. "You know, telling her what you just told me. Letting her know that you know you screwed up."
"I don't know how much use that would be," he said defeatedly.
"Apologies go a long way," Maya pointed out and decided to change strategies. "Do the girls-of-the-month or week make you happy? Like, long-term happy?"
Drew sighed. "Of course not," he admitted, hesitating for a moment before daring to add the second part. "They're not Charlie."
"Then maybe it might be worth the risk to talk to her," Maya said slowly. "If you have a chance of being happy again in the end."
Yes, people, you heard right. This was Maya Penelope Hunter talking right now, encouraging someone to take a risk for love. The blonde had come a long way since her big move to the city. Her parents, Cory and Topanga, Jon and Kat and Riley and Farkle had played a big part in that. A certain other brown-haired, blue-eyed Matthews had also left quite the impression on her, but more on that later.
But seeing this sharp comparison of Andrew and Charlie being happily in love and then devastated after breaking up, it had made Maya realize that maybe not being with someone you loved, not admitting how much you loved them – both to the other person and to yourself – was also not the best option in the long run. Even months after their break-up, Drew was a wreck and Charlie – who Maya still kept in contact with – wasn't faring much better herself.
"You think she would hear me out?" Drew asked in a small voice.
"I think so, yeah." Maya nodded. She knew Charlie still cared about Drew, even if he had – as he so eloquently put it – screwed up big time.
"You think she might give me another shot?" he inquired, giving her a doubtful look.
"I think she might," Maya said slowly. "She didn't break up with you because she didn't care for you, Drew. It might take you some convincing – no, it will take you some convincing – but I don't think things are hopeless. Just give it a shot."
Drew took a deep breath. "Maybe you're right," he eventually admitted.
"Think about it, okay," Maya relented as she patted his arm, knowing better than to push too much. "I don't think you'd regret it."
"Maybe," Drew repeated, heaving a sigh before turning to the blonde. "Thanks, Maya," he said, putting his arm around her shoulders, hugging her towards him and placing a kiss on top of her hair. "I needed to hear that."
"Anytime, Drew," she promised, hugging him back.
"I'm glad Josh started bringing you around," he told her honestly, giving her a friendly shove.
"Yeah, me too." Maya giggled. "Where is he anyway? I know he had a late class, but he should be done now."
"He called a little before I came in here," Drew said. "Asked if you were here. I told him you'd been here for a few hours already and that you were in your painting zone. He offered to do a pizza run and told me to make you some coffee and save the hot chocolate for later – which I had already done, of course, not my first time taking care you, thank you very much." Maya giggled at that while Drew checked the time. "He should be here any minute now with the pizza."
"What would I do without you two?" she asked dramatically.
"Probably starve," Drew said dryly as his gaze fell on her painting equipment that was still spread across the floor of Josh's room. "Can I?"
"Oh, of course," she said, starting to gather her equipment together while Drew scooted closer towards the canvas. "I'll be in the bathroom, cleaning up." She held up her paint-covered hands that only looked a little better than the brushes.
Drew laughed. "You do that," he said, turning back to her work.
Just as Maya stepped out of the bedroom and into the living room, she could hear the sound of keys jingling and saw the front door open, revealing a handsome young man with tousled brown hair and tired blue eyes, carrying a bag as well as two big pizza cartons. A brilliant smile spread across Maya's face – and it was not just because of the pizza – as she saw her friend enter the apartment.
Josh let his gaze wander through the room and eventually it fell on her, his tired eyes immediately sparkling happily as a bright smile grazed his lips. He looked beat after a whole day of classes and Maya didn't think she looked any better, but she didn't care.
The two of them had grown impossibly close over the last few weeks, becoming the best of friends in the process. They had seen each other at their best – all dressed up for the Christmas extravaganza the Hunter-Matthews clan had thrown to welcome their newest addition into the family – and their worst – after a mid-term binge-learning session Maya, Riley and Farkle had spent at Drew and Josh's that had ended with all of them crashing in the living room of the apartment after falling asleep from exhaustion. Maya didn't think there was another person that knew her as well as Josh had come to know her, and she knew just as much about him in return.
They could talk about anything and everything, the only things that had not been addressed being Maya's childhood and the romantic attraction that still lingered between them and was steadily growing the more they got to know each other. Maya knew this was something she would have to address eventually – both of it since it was connected in a way.
She also knew that she would have to be the one to bring it up because Josh, being the great guy that he was, had stayed true to his promise to be her friend. He hadn't tried to push her, not a single time, and even though they had their moments, their shared looks, that tension between them, Josh had always been the one to back off, realizing that she wasn't ready yet.
Even now Maya knew that she wasn't quite there yet, but she was getting there. It was a thought that both terrified and exhilarated her. Like her mom had told her about her dad, Josh had and was continuing to let his actions speak, he was always there when she needed him, and Maya was always ready to repay the favor. She was starting to think that maybe, in Josh, she had found that special guy that she had known it would take to make her believe in … okay, she was definitely not ready to talk about the L-word yet. But maybe, eventually, someday … And maybe, someday wasn't quite so far down the road anymore. Maybe it was rather … someday soon.
"Gorgeous!" Josh greeted her. "You're alive!"
"Handsome!" Maya went along with the greeting. "You brought pizza!"
Josh shook his head laughing as he stepped into the apartment and placed the pizza cartons on the counter before placing his bag down on the ground and shrugging off his coat. "I take it you had your intake of coffee already?"
"Thanks to my guardian angel Andrew, yes," Maya joked, making Josh laugh once more. "I would give you a hug, but I should probably wash my hands first." To illustrate her point she held up her hands that looked like their very own painting, come to think of it.
"How does my room look?" Josh teased.
"Beautiful," Maya played along. "I think pink and purple is exactly your color-scheme. Much nicer than blue and grey."
"Funny, funny, girl," Josh muttered, rolling his eyes at her antics.
"Oh, calm down." Maya waved him off. "Don't worry, I also added glitter. What do you think I am? An amateur."
"Maya," he warned, not quite sure if the girl was merely kidding anymore.
"Oh, Josh, you know I can't control when and which kind of inspiration strikes," she teased. "Besides, don't you think the unicorn would have looked kinda boring without the glitter?"
"Okay, that's it!" Josh exclaimed as he rushed towards the blonde.
Maya shrieked in delight and, brushes still in hand, took off. They managed three laps through the living room before Josh caught hold of the blonde and started tickling her sides. Laughing, Maya gasped for air and did the only thing she could think of to defend herself. She raised her brushes and brought them up to Josh's cheek, leaving a stroke of green across it.
Startled, Josh let go of the girl, did a double-take and raised a hand to his cheek, painting his middle and index finger green as well. Maya was doubling over from laughter, almost dropping one of the brushes which Josh quickly caught hold off. And, before she could even realize what he planned on doing, the blonde found herself sporting a blue stroke of paint on her own forehead. Well, and since neither of them was one to back away from a fight, a little while later both of them were covered in paint – Maya mainly in blue while Josh was sporting a variety of different colors from green over red to black.
Well, and that was how Drew found them a little while later. "Maya, seriously, your painting is amazi…" he broke off mid-sentence as he took in the chaos that was their living room. "What the …!" Drew exclaimed, putting an end to their impromptu paint war. "What are you two … do I even want to know?"
Josh and Maya looked at each other, doubling over with laughter once more because of how ridiculous they both looked, before simultaneously getting out a breathless "No".
"Thought so." Drew shook his head, clearly amused by the situation. "Okay, here's how we're gonna do this. You two go wash up, you look like a color palette threw up all over the both of you. I'm gonna be in here making dinner and setting the table."
Maya and Josh shared a look. "So," Josh started. "You're gonna carry the pizza cartons over to the couch table and open them."
"Precisely," Drew said. "Maybe I'll even get some napkins if we're feeling extra fancy. Now you two: go, go, get! I'm hungry!"
"Sir, yes, sir!" Maya and Josh saluted and rushed off to the bathroom giggling while Drew just groaned.
"Hey, Maya?" he called after her.
The blonde stopped and turned to look back at her friend while Josh already went on ahead. "Yeah, Drew?"
"That advice you gave me before?" he asked. "You remember?"
Maya nodded. "Of course."
"Maybe I'm not the only one that should listen to it," was all Drew said before giving the girl a wink and turning towards their dinner with a smirk.
Maya desperately willed the blush that was threatening to spread across her cheeks to disappear as she entered the bathroom. Yeah, of course thoughts like that had occurred to the blonde as well, but hearing Drew say them out loud was something entirely different. She was still coming to terms with all the thoughts running through her brain herself, so she was nowhere near ready to voice them – or hear them voiced by someone else in this case.
"What did Drew want?" Josh asked from where he was already standing at the sink, the water running.
Maya looked over towards him and was just about to answer, but the sight that met her rendered her speechless for a moment. Since his sweater had obviously been caught in the crossfire of their paint-war, Josh had apparently decided to take it off and deal with the stains on there later. Currently he was bent over the sink, after having already gotten most of the paint off of his hands, trying to scrub away the paint stains that covered his face and neck. Now, in the months they had known each other, Maya had seen Josh without a shirt a couple of times already, mostly when he'd been too lazy to go to his bedroom to get changed and had opted to switch sweaters right in the middle of the apartment. However, those occasions had all been rather short-lived and now Maya was able to take a closer look at his toned body, kept in shape and well-trained from regular exercise. And well, the girl wouldn't lie, it was quite the view.
Suddenly, Maya was torn away from her staring by Josh raising from his bent position and meeting her eyes directly, looking at her quizzically. The water droplets dripping from his faced down to his chest because of the movement were doing nothing to help the blonde regain her train of thought. Dammit, Maya thought, he'd asked her a question. "Huh?" she got out rather ineloquently.
She was tempted to repaint his freshly cleaned up face yet again when she saw the smirk appearing on his face once he realized just why she hadn't answered his former question. Her raising a warning eyebrow was all it took for him to keep his teasing comment to himself – for now – and rather repeat his former question. "What did Drew want?"
"Oh." Well, that wasn't a much better topic for conversation either, Maya thought as Josh took a step away from the sink, gesturing for Maya to take her turn. "Just finishing our conversation from before," she explained evasively. Looking at herself in the mirror, Maya decided that Josh's idea hadn't been the worst. She too immediately shrugged off her sweater, leaving her standing there in a dark blue tank top that was thankfully still clean.
"Everything alright?" Josh inquired while grabbing a towel to dry himself off.
"I think so," Maya said as she got to work on scrubbing her hands clean. "We talked about Charlie."
"Really?" Josh's eyebrows rose up high on his forehead, knowing exactly how talkative his roommate usually was about this particular topic. "Drew talked about Charlie?"
"I might have bugged him a little bit," Maya admitted as she moved on to her face and neck, trying – and failing – to keep her top from getting wet.
Josh chuckled, slinging the towel over his shoulder. "Yeah, I don't get anything out of him about it without bugging either."
"Men." Maya shook her head and giggled as she felt Josh shoving her playfully. Taking another look in the mirror, she found herself to be presentable again. "But I think I managed to get him thinking."
"About what exactly?" Josh asked, handing Maya a towel which she took gratefully.
"About maybe not giving up on Charlie just yet," she said, looking at Josh curiously. "What do you think?" Maya knew that Josh and Charlie were still good friends, having known each other long before her and Drew had become a thing.
"I think she definitely still cares for him," Josh said, confirming her suspicions. "But he's gonna have a lot of groveling to do for her to even think about taking him back."
"Yeah, I told him as much," Maya agreed.
Josh laughed before sobering up a bit. "You think those two are gonna make it?"
Maya took her time to think about it. "I think they have a shot," she said. "Yeah, Drew screwed up, but he didn't do it on purpose or out of spite. He messed up, but I think people deserve a second chance."
Josh nodded. "Me too," he agreed. "Those two are too perfect for each other to just give up on." He looked at Maya and their gazes met and held for a while. Josh was the one to break it, shaking his head and bringing himself back to the here and now. "You got a change of clothes in the trunk?"
"I think I've got some leggings in there, but that's it." Maya had recently taken a load back to her apartment for laundry day.
"Then I'll leave you to clean up your brushes – I know you won't let me touch any of those anyway." Maya laughed at that – it was too true. "And I'll grab your leggings and bring you a sweater of mine," he said as if it was the most normal thing in the world – which, let's face it, for them it was by then.
"Thanks, Josh," Maya said as he headed out the door and she got back to work.
"Joshua Gabriel Matthews!" she could hear Drew exclaim. "Where are your manners! We have a lady in the house, you can't just run around so scantily clad. Have you no decency!" Maya giggled at that.
"Haven't heard the lady complain yet, Drew," was all Josh said to that, his teasing smirk evident in his voice, making Maya blush and Drew gasp in astonishment.
"Just you wait till your mother hears about this, young man!" Drew scolded after him, causing Maya to chuckle. She had only known the two guys for a few months, but she really couldn't imagine her life without either of them anymore.
"Now are you two sure you're going to be okay?" Katy Hunter asked for what felt like the thousandth time that day alone. And it was only early Friday afternoon.
"Mom, will you please calm down," Maya Hunter pleaded, placing her hands on her mother's shoulders and looking her straight in the eye. "Everything is going to be okay. We're gonna be just fine, I promise."
"We're just worried, kiddos," Shawn Hunter jumped in, looking between his wife, daughter and the newest member of their little family, uncertainty dripping from his eyes.
"It's just the weekend," Jasper Bennet chimed in, and Shawn put an arm around the teenager's shoulder. "Plus, you're only gonna be an hour or so away and Maya will be here at the apartment with me. I promise, I'll keep her out of trouble."
Shawn and Katy couldn't help but chuckle at that while Maya shot her foster brother a mock-glare and a wink. "See, Jasper's got it all handled, you don't have to worry about a thing," Maya told their parents. "Also, Josh is coming by for their tutoring session later and Farkle and Riley wanted to stop by tonight to join the three of us for game night. Even Zay said he might drop by later. We're gonna have a blast."
"You guys have been working so hard with your jobs and getting me all settled, you more than deserve this weekend away with Mr. Matthews and Topanga," Jasper agreed.
A few weeks ago, the Matthews had gone out to dinner with the Hunters and had invited them along on a trip they had planned to a hotel in Long Island. The hotel had a brand-new spa that Topanga and Katy wanted to try out while Shawn and Cory were looking forward to the good food and the hiking trails that were advertised on the website. Maya was pretty sure half of her dad's luggage consisted only of his photography equipment.
The Hunter's had been hesitant to accept the invitation at first. Not because they didn't want to go, but because they didn't want to leave Jasper all alone at the apartment. Yeah, Jasper was fifteen and would probably have been fine spending the weekend on his own. Plus, he was a good kid, very reliable and responsible, so Maya was pretty certain that he wouldn't have gotten into any trouble. But she could understand her parents' reasoning, seeing as how Jasper hadn't been living with them for too long, even though he had settled in very well so far.
That was why she had immediately offered to spend the weekend at the apartment to keep Jasper company while their parents were away on their trip. Her and Jasper had hung out a lot over the time he'd been with the Hunters and were getting along just fine, so the two had actually been looking forward for some brother-sister bonding and hanging out with Maya's friends.
For the most part, that was what had seemed to assure Shawn and Katy enough to leave their kids, but now they were apparently having doubts again. "And you guys are sure?" Shawn inquired, eyebrows raised as he looked between his foster son and daughter.
"Yes," Maya and Jasper said in unison.
"Because it would be no trouble at all to …" Katy added.
"Yes!" their children immediately interrupted her.
"Okay, okay." Shawn raised his hands defensively, chuckling nervously. "We get it, maybe we were overreacting a little bit."
"Just a tad," Maya teased her dad, earning a hip bump from him.
"And I appreciate that, Shawn, I really do," Jasper told the man, looking from him to his wife and back again.
In the few months he had spent with the Hunters, he had felt more loved, cherished and cared for than in his entire live up until now ever since his parents … nope, not going there right now. The Hunters had gone out of their way to make him feel comfortable and welcome, toeing the line between giving him space and being there for him so well. Yeah, they had had their bumps along the way, but Jasper was finally starting to feel not just like a – more or less – wanted guest, but like an actual part of the Hunter family each and every day. He felt at home with them for the first time in forever and he wanted to repay them for that.
"You and Katy have done so much for me in the last few months, you deserve some time for just the two of you," he told them.
Both Maya and Jasper could see Shawn and Katy take a deep breath before Katy turned to her husband with a sheepish expression. "You know what, hun," she said, putting her hand on his upper arm. "I think our kids are right."
"I think so too." Shawn sighed as he threw and arm around each of his children. "Shame on us for raising them to be so old and wise."
Maya laughed at that while Jasper couldn't help but beam with pride. He would never say so out loud, but the last few months he had lived for the times when Shawn and Katy would refer to him as their son or to Maya and him as their kids. It was a small gesture, not adding the foster part to his title, but to Jasper it felt monumental. He didn't think that any of the foster families he had been in before – especially not family who had already had kids of their own – had ever seen him as truly their own and he was pretty sure that this was a huge factor in making him feel welcome and at home with the Hunters.
Both Katy and Shawn apparently had a way with wayward teenagers; Shawn even more so, but Katy was a quick study. And judging by what Maya had told him about how she had come to know and love Shawn, his talent probably had its roots in his own unstable and uncertain childhood. Just the week before, Maya had been helping Jasper out with an assignment for his art class. The two of them had ended up talking about her own long-term assignment afterwards which had led the conversation towards the topic Maya's childhood.
Feeling like they knew each other quite well by then and that she could trust Jasper, that he might just understand what she had gone through, she had opened up to him. She had told him about her time growing up in Possum Trot: Katy and Kermit's constant fighting, her father leaving them all of the sudden, the time it had just been Katy, Maya and the lovely people of Possum Trot, meeting Jon, the whole story up to that faithful day her and her mom had met Shawn Hunter at Daisy's Diner.
Jasper had patiently listened to his new foster sister tell him her life's story and suddenly a rather unfamiliar feeling had overcome him. A feeling he had only felt once before in his whole life: back in Seattle when Shawn had opened up to him about his own childhood. It was a feeling of calmness, of belonging and of being understood. Of finally having found someone – three someones actually – who had gone through their own personal heartache and loss, who could understand how he often felt.
And that had let to Jasper sharing his own backstory with the blonde. Telling her how he had lost his parents at the age of four. Telling her that he could still remember that fateful night as if it had been just yesterday. Maya had listened to him patiently, had scooted over towards him when tears had started gathering in his eyes. She hadn't said a thing, hadn't told him how sorry she was and how awful this must have been for him. She didn't need to, he knew – could tell from her whole demeanor – that she understood.
For a long time, the two of them had just sat together in silence, taking comfort in the other person sitting beside them. That was how Katy had eventually found them. And just like her daughter, Katy hadn't said anything, hadn't asked. The scene she had stumbled into had spoken volumes and the older blonde had gone through her fair share of loss as well in the past. Instead, she had merely walked over to her kids, had placed a comforting hand on both their shoulders while giving them a reassuring smile. And then she had done the only thing that could be done in such a moment: she had asked them if they would join her for some hot chocolate with extra whipped cream.
Maya smiled at the three people surrounding her before she took a look at the clock. "Okay, you guys," she addressed her parents again. "You two good now?"
Shawn and Katy shared a look. "Yeah," the older blonde said, giving the kids a warm smile. "We're good."
"Well, it's about damn time," Maya added, grabbing hold of her mother's suitcases and gesturing for Jasper to do the same with their fathers'. "Because if I remember the itinerary correctly, I'd say it's high time you two got your butts over to the Matthews' place."
And with that, the two teenagers shoved the luggage into their parents' arms with big smiles on their faces, causing both Shawn and Katy to chuckle. "Okay, okay, okay," Shawn got out between gasps.
"We're getting, we're going," Katy added as Maya gently shoved her towards the door. "Hold up, I forgot something!"
Maya and Jasper groaned in unison. "What?" they asked.
"This." Katy took a step towards her kids and pulled them into a big group hug that Shawn immediately completed.
"I'll allow it," Maya mumbled, snuggling into her father's side.
"I second that," Jasper agreed shyly, letting Katy ruffle his hair in an affectionate gesture.
The elder Hunters let their kids go reluctantly and took a step towards the door. "Be good, you two," Shawn said, opening the door for his wife.
"We will," Jasper promised.
"And if there's anything at all …" Katy added.
"We will call you immediately," Maya assured. "But there won't be."
Katy and Shawn sighed. "Okay," they finally relented, giving the kids warm smiles. "Have fun, kiddos." "We'll see you on Sunday."
"Bye, Mom! Bye, Dad!" "Bye Shawn and Katy!" And finally, the door was shut behind the adults. Maya and Jasper grinned at each other and high fived.
"So, how are things at school?" Maya asked a little while later, after she had made the two of them some coffee while Jasper had gotten them a piece of left-over apple pie. They were now seated at the kitchen table, catching up on what had been going on over the week.
"It's fine," Jasper said slowly. He had been struggling with school back in Seattle already and the move as well as the new school along with new teachers weren't really helping things. So, after letting the teenager settle in for a bit, Shawn and Katy had addressed the issue of tutoring with him. Jasper had been reluctant at first, having always been one to be rather shy around new people. But they had come up with an arrangement that suited all of them. "I'm doing much better with English and History, Riley's been a life saver. Especially when it comes to explaining what Mr. Matthews is getting at with his lessons. It's never just about History, you know?" Jasper shook his head, making Maya laugh. "And when Farkle explains chemical equations or the laws of physics, things just make much more sense than at school."
"Oh yeah," Maya immediately agreed. "I was never much of a chemistry or physics girl myself. I'm glad you're doing better there. And I know how great you're doing with art."
Jasper blushed at that. "Yeah, my teacher's pleased with my work too," he told her. Art was the subject Maya was helping him out with. Well, not so much helping out as them painting together in a comfortable silence and Jasper bombarding his foster sister with questions about her college art classes. Maya had been surprised to find that Jasper had a similar tendency of getting into the painting zone when he was inspired and the two of them had shared quite a lot of afternoons just painting side by side. "I just hope that I'm finally going to get the hang of math as well."
"Well, if you and Josh wouldn't end up talking about anything and everything not math related during your tutoring sessions …," Maya teased.
Jasper chuckled and gave her a mischievous smile. "Yeah, I don't know how we do that either."
"Every single time." Maya shook her head. She had been delighted to find that her new foster brother and friend got along – that Jasper got along very well with all her friends really. But she could also see that him and Josh were much closer than him and Riley or Farkle. Somehow the two of them had just clicked from very early on – kinda like Maya and Josh had. Jasper had immediately felt comfortable with Josh and the two of them had grown really close over the last few months. Maya was glad that he had found a guy friend he could talk and look up to so quickly and easily.
"Did Katy tell you she got the part for the recurring role in that police drama?" Jasper asked after a little while of comfortable silence.
"Not yet, but of course she got it." Maya grinned. "That's great!"
"I wasn't really surprised either," Jasper agreed. "I'd been running lines with her and she was amazing."
Maya smiled at him warmly. "You've been doing that a lot lately, right? Running lines with Mom?"
Jasper nodded, taking a big gulp of coffee before answering. "It's fun," he said simply. "And Katy says I'm not half bad at it. She even asked if I thought about going out for the drama club at school."
"Is that something you might be interested in?" Maya inquired.
"I don't know," Jasper told her. "I think it might be fun, but I don't want to take on too much too fast. I've got so much to catch up on in my normal classes already and I love spending the afternoons at the studio and on assignments with Shawn. Him and Derek even mentioned something about a summer job."
"Congratulations, Jas. That's amazing!"
"Yeah." He looked at the girl sheepishly. "So, I don't wanna overdo it, you know?"
"I do." Maya nodded. "Besides, there's always next semester. Things will have calmed down by then a lot more, so you could always join then."
"That's what I thought too," Jasper agreed. "And how are things with you? You get anywhere with the big assignment."
Maya grinned. "I did," she told him excitedly. "I had an epiphany a few days ago and spent the whole afternoon barricading myself in Josh's room to paint in there."
"Sounds about right." Jasper laughed. He still hadn't quite figured out just what was going on between Maya and Josh. They looked and acted like a couple most of the time, but – as far as he and everybody else knew – they were just friends.
"I brought it with me actually," Maya told him. "Wanna take a look?"
"I do," Jasper immediately agreed before taking a look at the time. "We have about half an hour before Josh is coming over for tutoring."
"Perfect," Maya said. "And about an hour before Riley's coming by. Farkle said he'd be over in time for dinner and that he'd pick something up for us to eat."
"I vote for burgers." Jasper grinned.
"You know what, I second that." Maya got out her phone and typed a quick text in the group chat, asking for opinions and telling them theirs before addressing Jasper again. "Riley and I are planning on baking cupcakes once she's here. Any preferences?"
"Chocolate please," Jasper told her what she had already been expecting. "And please, feel free to interrupt away on our tutoring session as soon as their done." He pause, thinking. "Or as soon as you've got left over batter."
"Duly noted." Maya laughed. "If Riley leaves anything for you guys."
Jasper chuckled. "Any plans for game night already?"
"I was thinking …" A mischievous grin spread across Maya's face. "Mario Kart Tournament."
"Oh, you're on!" Jasper immediately exclaimed excitedly before sobering up a bit. "Hey Maya?"
"Yeah, Jas?"
"I'm glad I met you guys," he said solemnly, not quite able to meet her gaze. "And I'm really glad Shawn and Katy decided to give me a chance and take me in."
"I'm glad they did too," Maya told him honestly. "I think you're what's been missing to make our family complete and I'm really glad you and Dad found each other." They sat in a comfortable silence for a few moments, just enjoying each other's company. "Now what do you say? Wanna have a look at the painting and do something nice for a little while longer before Josh comes by to torture you with equations?" Maya teased.
"You read my mind."